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Daniel Bryan & the Negotiation of Kayfabe in Professional Wrestling

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Daniel Bryan & the Negotiation of Kayfabe in Professional Wrestling University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 3-23-2017 Daniel Bryan & The egotN iation of Kayfabe in Professional Wrestling Brooks Oglesby University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons Scholar Commons Citation Oglesby, Brooks, "Daniel Bryan & The eN gotiation of Kayfabe in Professional Wrestling" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6735 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Daniel Bryan & The Negotiation of Kayfabe in Professional Wrestling by Brooks Oglesby A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Communication College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Aisha Durham, Ph.D. Keith Berry, Ph.D. Chris McRae, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 22, 2017 Keywords: breach, convergence, fandom, social drama Copyright © 2017, Brooks Oglesby DEDICATION This project would not be possible without the wrestlers who have sacrificed their health for fans like me. I thank my favorite babyfaces – Daniel Bryan, Shawn Michaels, Sami Zayn, Eddie Guerrero, Sasha Banks, Shinsuke Nakamura, Dusty Rhodes, Randy Savage, Emma, Mick Foley, AJ Lee, The New Day, Edge, The Hardy Boyz, Ethan Carter III, John Morrison, Diamond Dallas Page and everyone else who has kept me in belief over the years. I also thank my favorite heels – CM Punk, Kevin Owens, Pentagon, Jr., Andy Kaufman, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Andre the Giant, Dario Cueto, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Bray Wyatt, Mark Henry, Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, and William Regal, without whom our heroes would have nothing to overcome. This project would also not be possible without the support of the scholarly community at USF, who are equal parts brilliant and supportive. A special thank you to my committee, whose thoughtful insights helped me every step of the way. Dr. Durham, thank you for trusting that I know the answer, even if I don’t think I know it. Your guidance over the past few years has been invaluable. Dr. McRae, thank you for suggesting I pursue professional wrestling in my performance work, and for helping me find my niche in performance studies. Dr. Berry, thank you for helping me to navigate the formidable world of graduate school, and for the warm conversations about wrestlers from back in the day. My family, friends, and everyone in my karass have been nothing short of a blessing. Finally, thank you to those who’ve let me put them in a Figure-Four Leglock, and a special thanks to those who upheld kayfabe by pretending that the pressure switches when you flip over. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................ ii Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Research Questions .............................................................................................................................. 8 Literature Review ................................................................................................................................ 9 Fandom ................................................................................................................................. 10 Performativity ....................................................................................................................... 13 Kayfabe ................................................................................................................................. 14 Convergence ......................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 2: Performance as Theory and Method ........................................................................................... 19 Performance as Theory ...................................................................................................................... 19 Performance as Method ..................................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 3: Analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 35 Breach ................................................................................................................................................ 37 Crisis .................................................................................................................................................. 42 Redressive Action .............................................................................................................................. 47 Reintegration...................................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 4: Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 62 References ...................................................................................................................................................... 70 i ABSTRACT This thesis will examine the negotiation of kayfabe within the context of professional wrestling using a 2014 WWE storyline that arose from fan backlash as a primary text. The perceived marginalization of wrestler Daniel Bryan by the fans led to a disconnect between the narratives that were performed in-ring and the counter-narratives produced by the fans, which in turn led to an overtly co-authored narrative between in-ring performers and fans. In addition to studying the television narratives that characterize the “Yes Movement,” in WWE, I will analyze archived social media responses within fan communities on Twitter and Reddit to make sense of how professional wrestling fans constitute their collective identity and act upon their agency to alter live performances and narratives. This thesis will contribute to literature on professional wrestling specifically as well as performance studies and media studies about fandom in Communication. By analyzing the negotiation of kayfabe between professional wrestling audiences and performers, I will demonstrate how the Yes Movement backlash and eventual storyline illustrates the malleability of shared realities within subcultures. ii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION I should start by mentioning that I am writing this thesis because I cried on the floor of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome during the closing moments of WrestleMania 30. At the risk of spoiling it, Daniel Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, defeating three main event-caliber opponents in the same night in front of 80,000 fans, one of which was me. I’ve been watching wrestling weekly for as long as I can remember. Growing up with twin brothers, both nine years older than me, during the late-90s wrestling boom meant that wrestling was going to be in my life whether I wanted it to be or not, because I was small and agreeable enough to be their practice dummy. I have probably been Rock Bottomed and Stone Cold Stunnered as much as any actual wrestler has (though I’ve had the benefit of trampolines, beds, and couches to break my falls). As I grew older and my brothers grew out of it, I would routinely put on trampoline matches with either a friend or my Diamond Dallas Page plush action figure. I have been grounded for pinching a nerve in my cousin’s neck after applying Chris Masters’ patented Masterlock, and I have been sent home from a friend’s house for breaking his glasses while applying Chris Benoit’s Crippler Crossface submission hold. Wrestling has always been a big part of my life, whether I’m watching it or, against WWE’s advice, “trying this at home.” Wrestling had never made me cry, though. I mean, I did cry when Eddie Guerrero died, 3 and I cried when Ric Flair retired, but I’d never been that moved by what happened in the ring. It’s not as if I don’t know that it’s all a sham. Come to think of it, I’ve probably cried at some point out of sheer frustration over being told that it’s fake. There was a time in my life when I would argue the difference between “fake” and “pre-determined,” showing YouTube clips of Mick Foley’s ear getting ripped off or Mick Foley being falling 20 feet off the side of a cage or Mick Foley’s tooth being pushed through his nose. But I’ve learned that it’s a largely futile endeavor. It’s just something you get or it’s something you don’t. But what was different about Bryan’s win? I think it was that I had a stake in it, or at least that’s the way I felt. When Bryan arrived in WWE in 2010, I latched onto him, probably a combination of his indie cred, his in-ring ability, and his general lack of anything that would immediately indicate that he fights for a living. A lanky, nervous pale kid with a goofy smile who brushes his hair forward and looks like he’s just happy to be there. Now there’s a guy I can relate to. Bryan became “my guy” pretty much immediately. In the world of professional
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